Welcome to Living Well Daily, the newsletter serving up a daily dose of care designed to support you, cheer you on and remind you, always, just how wonderful you already are.
Note: no newsletter will be sent on Dec 25th
Today’s Edition
You are a manifestation of glorious magnificence packaged into a human being. The world is lucky to have you!
Staying You Around People Who Knew the Old You
Being around family can activate old patterns fast. Even if you’ve grown in huge ways, familiar dynamics can pull you back into roles you’ve outgrown: the peacekeeper, the quiet one, the fixer, the achiever, the one-who-never-needs-anything. This “reversion” isn’t failure; it’s your nervous system recognizing familiar patterns and slipping into old survival strategies.
The invitation is not to become someone new around family, but to stay connected to who you are now. This means letting your current values, needs, and boundaries guide you, even when old versions of you try to take the wheel. You don’t have to perform who you used to be. You can show up as the person you’ve been becoming, one grounded breath at a time.
And if it doesn’t feel safe to fully express the new you yet, that’s okay. You can still hold a quiet, steady knowing of who you are within yourself, protecting your truth while honouring your safety. Sometimes the most empowering choice is simply not abandoning yourself on the inside.
How to stay grounded in yourself:
🌱 Name your patterns. Notice which roles you slip into. Try saying internally, “Oh, this is my old coping part showing up.”
🧭 Anchor into your present identity. Before entering the space, remind yourself who you’ve become and how you choose to show up now.
🛑 Pause before responding. A 2–3 second breath helps you respond as your current self, not your conditioned self.
🫶 Set gentle micro-boundaries. Leaving a conversation, redirecting a topic, or giving shorter responses is allowed. Try thinking, “I’m allowed to protect my energy.”
✅Action step: Before your next family interaction, name one quality of your current self you want to hold onto (e.g., “self-respect,” “calm,” “directness”).
Love, Lola Graham
Creating Moments of Peace ☮️
During the holidays, things can get a bit hectic, whether it is spending extra time with family, having more social obligations, feeling the extra stress of financial pressures at this time of the year or whatever else.
That is why it is extremely important during this time to create moments of peace for yourself where you reset and re-centre yourself. This can look different person to person. For myself, I am more of an introvert, so I find a lot of social time can be extremely draining, so I like to create even small moments of solitude and just being to help me feel better.
Here are 3 things that help me and could be useful to you as well:
🫁Take a few deep breaths when getting in the car and/or before getting out.
😌Popping into the bathroom and taking a moment for yourself (ideally not just scrolling)
🌼Stepping outside and being fully present, just noticing the details of the world.
Maybe finding a moment of peace during these busy times is different for you, or maybe you’re an extrovert who finds the social time charges you up. Regardless, it is important to care for yourself during the holiday and not just to put everyone and their needs above your own.
You are wonderful, happy holidays from us!
✅ Action Step: If you need it during the holidays, create some moments of peace for yourself to help you recharge and re-centre.
By: Joshua Graham
Thank you for being here!
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With love and care,
Lola & Joshua | The Living Well Team
Living Well Daily is for educational purposes only and is in no way a substitute for professional medical and mental health advice and diagnosis. Please consult a qualified professional for care unique to your needs.
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